Introductions anyone?

[iridium]

Hi all writing to introduce myself.

I'm 51, married for 26 years with an 18 year old daughter (first semester at University of Michigan studying Bio/Chem) and a 16 year old son (interested in computer science). I have a BS in Applied Mathematics & Computer Science & an MS in Computer Science. I spent ~20 years in the auto industry, moved to defense for 10, and am now back in the auto industry.

Started down the "audio train" some 25 years ago. Primarily listen via headphones to classical, classic rock, and blues. When nobody is home I will listen to speakers, usually pulling out some old vinyl.

I'm here to learn.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

-Tim

Welcome,

There must be some good stories in "~20 years in the auto industry, moved to defense for 10, and am now back in the auto industry".

iridium.

 

[amirm]

Warm welcome to the forum Tim! Good to see audio software people in the forum.

 

[tim_j_thomas]

Thanks -- my background in software (at least for automotive) was in-vehicle networking (e.g., "real-time" / "time sensitive" data transfer between controllers onboard). I was also heavily involved in defining the automotive standards used for diagnostics communications -- both onboard and between the vehicle and off-board tester.

Been managing people and projects for the last 20 years. (I do miss software development though.)

 

[Thomas savage]

Hi all writing to introduce myself.

I'm 51, married for 26 years with an 18 year old daughter (first semester at University of Michigan studying Bio/Chem) and a 16 year old son (interested in computer science). I have a BS in Applied Mathematics & Computer Science & an MS in Computer Science. I spent ~20 years in the auto industry, moved to defense for 10, and am now back in the auto industry.

Started down the "audio train" some 25 years ago. Primarily listen via headphones to classical, classic rock, and blues. When nobody is home I will listen to speakers, usually pulling out some old vinyl.

I'm here to learn.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

-Tim

Fantastic, thanks for taking the time to tell us all a little about yourself.

 

[Thomas savage]

Welcome.

I would not be so hard on "wooden boxes of dirt"; you might be amazed at the wonderful vegetables & flowers that many grow in "wooden boxes of dirt".

iridium.

“Wooden boxes of dirt” ..., our ultimate destiny...

 

[Dialectic]

“Wooden boxes of dirt” ..., our ultimate destiny...

Speak for yourself. I intend to upload my brain into a computer and then appear on random CRTs to make cryptic utterances.

 

[Thomas savage]

Speak for yourself. I intend to upload my brain into a computer and then appear on random CRTs to make cryptic utterances.

I applaud your ambition..

 

[Colin James Wonfor]

Hi All, Sorry not been here for while but I wish you all a Happy Christmas .

 

[oivavoi]

Hi All, Sorry not been here for while but I wish you all a Happy Christmas .

Hi Colin, merry christmas! I actually checked in on your website some time ago, and couldn't access it. Good to see it up and running again, and you posting here!

 

[amirm]

Good to see you again Colin. Warm happy holidays to you too.

 

[Burning Sounds]

Yes, season's greeting to everyone on here.....a very friendly and enjoyable place....and all the best for the new year!

 

[TitaniumTroy]

Welcome Tim, what city do you currently reside in, I'm south of you in South Bend IN.

 

[tim_j_thomas]

I am just north of Detroit.

 

[pastorbarrett]

Hi all, I'm from Dublin, Ireland. My profession is somewhat removed from audio, working within the disability sector here. Music has always been my foremost passion, the means of reproduction somewhat lower on the totem pole but nevertheless a steady interest, increasingly so in recent years.

I'm a bang-for-buck, second-hand type person, and (thankfully!) have never lost sight that some of my most profound musical experiences came via the wow and flutter of bootlegged cassettes into some nameless headphones. Not that I'm a tape fetishist, but you get what I'm saying!

In any case, I'll likely keep schtum for the most part and seek to learn from the abundant knowledge here. Very grateful for such a resource, especially so given the pervasive misinformation and sales rhetoric seen elsewhere. Many thanks.

 

[Sylafari]

Hi, just a curious budding audiophile (recent EE/Physics BS graduate as well!) wondering about how to objectively get the best sound.

My experience with audio in a short summary is the constant disappointment I feel in listening to expensive things that people rave about mixed in with a slight few instances of actual wonder.
I also feel like maybe I'm not very good at discerning significant audio differences between products as the things I discern personally usually seem like very minute differences to me rather than the bombastic impressions from most audio reviewers on certain things.

Been lurking for a few weeks now and I love the measurements and all the actual analysis being done on numerous products by the members here.

Ultimately, I want to understand more about measurements and how they can help me as well as learning how to hear more critically (maybe?). I also possibly have a few pieces of gear I be willing to send in for measurements!

 

[tim_j_thomas]

Good to meet you Sylafari. A few comments: Start small - don't fall into the upgrade all the time BS!!! Find music you like and listen to it (headphones or speakers). Try things before you buy them! And, don't believe that the next best thing is really all that much better!!

 

[Ron Party]

^^^

Anyone with a Calvin & Hobbes avatar definitely gets a welcome to the forum from me!

 

[amirm]

Welcome to the forum Sylafari and thanks for the intro. We you seek are what we are about!

 

[Wombat]

Hi, just a curious budding audiophile (recent EE/Physics BS graduate as well!) wondering about how to objectively get the best sound.

My experience with audio in a short summary is the constant disappointment I feel in listening to expensive things that people rave about mixed in with a slight few instances of actual wonder.
I also feel like maybe I'm not very good at discerning significant audio differences between products as the things I discern personally usually seem like very minute differences to me rather than the bombastic impressions from most audio reviewers on certain things.

Been lurking for a few weeks now and I love the measurements and all the actual analysis being done on numerous products by the members here.

Ultimately, I want to understand more about measurements and how they can help me as well as learning how to hear more critically (maybe?). I also possibly have a few pieces of gear I be willing to send in for measurements!

Welcome aboard.

I start by rejecting claims related to hearing things that are significantly below our lower threshold of hearing. I also consider what may be heard in isolation may well be masked by the whole recorded content. I have yet to be convinced that our hearing abilities outperform the inherent capability of Red Book CD or that well designed digital products have audible 'artifacts'.

If the straight-wire-with-gain concept for audio gear is followed, audio is simplified by eliminating a lot of subjective opinions and expensive equipment.

Concentrate on enjoying the music/video and put realistic limits on 'audiophile' claims.

I am open to considered views on the topic but in the end they need to be substantiated.

But then there is tonal preference, and all bets are off because it is an individual perception that is difficult to convey to others with respect to their situation. Thus so many audio forums going nowhere.

Disclosure: I am a retired EE.

 

[Sal1950]

I also feel like maybe I'm not very good at discerning significant audio differences between products as the things I discern personally usually seem like very minute differences to me rather than the bombastic impressions from most audio reviewers on certain things.

There really hasn't been any "bombastic" steps forward in High Fidelity reproduction in many decades, they have all been very minute and extremely subtle steps. About the closest we came was the introduction of digital recording and playback at the consumer level.
Welcome!